The Portland Business Journal reported that the City Council and PDC have chosen to move forward with a full redevelopment of the Centennial Mills site. As a consequence, the Mounted Patrol Unit will not return to the site.

Conceptual diagram showing how much development would be allowed under a full site redevelopment of the Centennial Mills site (image: GBD Architects). The flour mill would remain and be converted to creative office space, while the rest of the site would likely be used for residential and retail uses, plus an expansion of the Willamette Greenway.

The Willamette Week reported that Portland could be getting a major new music venue at 2034 NW 27th Ave. With a capacity for 3,000 concert goers it would be of a similar size to the Schnitzer Concert Hall or the Keller Auditorium.

Architect magazine released its top 50 firms of the year, with Portland-based ZGF Architects in the #1 place. Also on the list from Portland was Hacker, at #13. In the design rankings of nationwide firms Works Partnership came in at #5, ZGF at #7 and Hacker at #17.

A single story commercial building at SW 12th & Morrison is about to be demolished, reports the Portland Business Journal. The building will make way for the 1127 SW Morrisonoffice building.

The DJC reported on how “Sellwood growth stirs residents“*. Projects planned or under construction in the neighborhood include Spokane.13, 7119 SE Milwaukie, Galaxie Lofts and Sellwood Bridgehead.

Knot Springs Spa & Fitness has opened in the Burnside Bridgehead tower Yard, according to the Portland Business Journal. The 11,500 sq ft facility “offers monthly memberships as well as services by appointment”.

The Oregonian reported that ‘Top Chef’ finalist Doug Adams will be opening a restaurant named Bullard in The Woodlark, the Downtown hotel that be created in the Hotel Cornelius and Woodlark building. Existing business Johnny Sole, currently located at the site, will close according to the Portland Business Journal.

City Observatory asked if inclusionary zoning in Portland is “a good way to provide more affordable housing, or will it actually worsen the constrained housing supply that’s a big cause of higher rents?”

The Portland Business Journal wrote that the Portland Development Commission has agreed to spend a further $1 million to demolish the feed mill building at Centennial Mills. Current plans still envision the retention of the iconic flour mill.

An investigation by The Oregonian covered how Commissioner Saltzman withdrew the award of city owned land and funding for Meta Housing’sCreators Collectiveproject, and instead gave it to Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives Inc, for their King Parks project.

The Abigail, the latest affordable housing development in the Pearl, had a grand opening on Friday. The 155-unit apartment building includes 128 units for families making between 30 and 60 % of area median family income.

The Portland Development Commission received three offers for Centennial Mills, according to The Oregonian. All three offers, valued at $1,000, $100,000 and $3.45 million, were rejected. The redevelopment agency will now consider “how/whether to reengage the market”.

TheDJC reported that the under construction Overlook Pointe condominium development at 5425 N Minnesota Ave was burned down in a fire* early Wednesday morning.

The PDC voted to sell property at 1053–1201 NW Naito Parkway to The Wolff Company for $9 million. The Oregonian reported that the developer plans to build 340 apartments on the site, 68 of which would be affordable for at least 10 years.

The Portland Mercury profiled Swift Real Estate Partners, the San Francisco Investment Firm that is “Snatching Up Old Town Real Estate“. The company’s acquisitions include the New Market Theater, a historic building adjacent to the Skidmore Fountain that could receive a significant addition.

More than 1,000 people applied for the 65 housing units available to people displaced from North and Northeast Portland, according to The Oregonian.

The City is planning a $25 million renovation of the 10th & Yamhill Smart Park, according to the Portland Business Journal. The scope of the project will include addressing seismic and ADA deficiencies in the existing structure.

Three new surf shops are set to open in the next year, reports The Oregonian. These include Cosube, which will open in Slateat the Burnside Bridgehead, and Leeward Northwest Surf & Sea, which will open in New New Crusher Court at 2450 NE Sandy Blvd.

According to the Portland Business Journal, furniture retailer Room & Board will open next year in the Pearl District’s newly renovated Fisk Tire Company Building.

Construction is underway on the Albina Yard office building, which is using Cross-laminated Timber

Venerable restaurant Besaw’s reopened last week at the LL Hawkinsapartment building in Slabtown. Eater PDX published photos of the new interior.

History Treasured & Sometimes Endangered wrote about the demolition of a number of houses in order to make way for a mixed use development at 2301 NW Savier. The new building by GBD Architects will wrap around the building that was formerly home to Besaw’s restaurant.

OHSU is in the early stages of planning for a major expansion of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, according to a story in the Portland Business Journal.

The Portland Chronicle wrote about the potential demolition of a building at 3336 SE Belmont St, slated to be replaced by a three-story mixed use building by BKL/A Architecture.

Construction is about to begin on the Works Partnership designed PDX Commons senior co-housing at SE 43rd and Belmont. The site was formerly the location of the Good Food Here food cart pod. As The Oregonian reports more than half of the carts have now relocated across the street to form the Bite on Belmont pod.

The developers behind 3rd and Taylorhave laid out their plans for the block, wrote the Portland Business Journal. The design review package for the hotel portion of the project has been submitted by Ankrom Moisan Architects. The office building is planned to move forward separately in the coming months.

Coworking firm CENTRL Office will expand into the Slatebuilding at the Burnside Bridgehead Block 75, according to a story in the Portland Business Journal. The 10 story building by Works Partnership is scheduled to open later this year.

Construction is underway at the Lever Architecture designed Albina Yard. The 4 story office building is the first commercial building in the United States to make use of domestically fabricated Cross Laminated Timber as a structural element. A video posted last week shows the progress made so far:

A sculpture park adjacent to the renovated Feed and Flour Mills was one of the options being explored for Centennial Mills by Harsch Investment Properties

With the fate of Centennial Mills uncertain, the Pearl District Neighborhood Association held a meeting to discuss the future of the site. Presenters included Jordan Schnitzer of Harsch Investment Properties, who had previously been selected as the developer for the property. The PDC allowed the memorandum of understanding between them and Harsch to expire in November, leaving open the possibility that all the buildings on site will be demolished. More information about the future of the property can be found at www.millmeeting.org.

Two historic buildings set to be demolished to make way for the 3rd and Taylordevelopment have gained a temporary reprieve, according to the Portland Business Journal. The developers have agreed not to demolish the Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple or the Hotel Albion until at least April 30. The developers made the agreement with advocacy group Restore Oregon, who in return withdrew their appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals. A blog post at the Restore Oregon site states that “while the development team continues to assert that saving the buildings is not financially feasible, they have been engaging with Restore Oregon and others about options that could retain the Workmen Temple.”

A topping out ceremony was held for the 21-story Yard building, with 30 people in attendance including Congressman Earl Blumenauer. The Skylab designed project has been gaining a lot of attention lately due to the changes made between the design review process and the issuance of the project’s building permit. The Daily Journal of Commerce reported that the situation could lead to changes to the City’s design review process in response.

The Oregonian reported that the restaurant Veritable Quandary will close this summer in order to make way for the new Multnomah County Courthouse. The County will demolish the restaurant building. The adjacent Jefferson Station building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will remain.

The proposed developed at SW 3rd and Taylor by Ankrom Moisan Architects

Restore Oregon announced that they filed concurrent appeals to the City and to LUBA, arguing that the City erred in removing the Albion Hotel and Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple from the Historic Resource Inventory. The buildings are threatened by the development at 3rd and Taylor.

Online bank Simple will be the anchor tenant for Clay Creative, according to a story in the Portland Business Journal. The new space will be “nearly double the size of Simple’s current home and will be able to accommodate 500 people.”

Writing about Framework, the proposed 12 story building in the Pearl, the Portland Mercury looked at how the use of wood in high rise construction could “help solve the city’s affordability problem, create living-wage jobs in rural communities, and help save the planet”

The Portland Business Journal reported that the concrete slab for the AC Hotel by Marriottwas poured last weekend. The pour included 1,100 cubic yards of concrete, enough “to cover a football field with a six-inch slab.”

The Daily Journal of Commerce published construction photos of the Burnside Bridgehead Block 75, which has now reached its maximum height. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2016.

The Portland Development Commission has walked away from a deal with Harsch Investment Properties for development on the site of Centennial Mills, determining that it wasn’t financially viable. Partial demolition is currently underway on the long vacant site. The current demolition work will leave the feed and flour mills in place, but with no plan in place for what to do with them a decision will need to be made in the new year whether to also demolish those buildings.

In a piece on Division Street, KGW looked at how it “got so popular and why the growth is causing problems for people who live, work and dine at Portland’s new restaurant row”.

The Portland Chronicle reported that demolition is likely imminent on two single family homes at 1515 SE 44th, which will be replaced by a four-story mixed-use development with 30 residential units facing SE Hawthorne Blvd.

The Block 8L building in Skidmore Old Town, which is now under construction. The design was cited as an example of the positive contribution made by the Historic Resource Review process.

The Historic Landmarks Commission has presented its 2015 State of City Preservation Report to the Portland City Council. The report gave an update to the Council on the work of the Commission, made suggestions for priorities to be addressed in the coming year and identified potential threats to historic resources in the city. Presenting the report was outgoing Chair Brian Emerick, joined by Commission member Kirk Ranzetta. A similar report was delivered earlier in the year by the Design Commission.

The proposed 12 story wood building by Beneficial State Bank at 430 NW 10th

The Oregonian reported that a planned 12 story tall wood building at 430 NW 10th in the Pearl has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The building by Lever Architecture for Beneficial State Bank will utilize Cross Laminated Timber, a structural system that has been proven elsewhere but has been little used in the USA. The USDA grant will help in covering the cost of getting the system approved under the building codes in place in Oregon.

Eater PDX reported that Northwest Portland institution Besaw’s will reopen in time for the holidays, at the LL Hawkins apartment building on Conway Block 296.

At Portland Architecture Brian Libby looked into the fate of Centennial Mills, and asked whether it will be the next historic landmark in Portland to be demolished.

A major renovation and seismic upgrade is planned for the Towne Storage Building. The Portland Business Journal reported that the project will create over 100,000 sq ft of creative office space. A story in the Portland Mercury noted that 52 existing business and 180 renters with mini storage units will be evicted from the building.

A redevelopment of the former Premier Press building at 1440 Hoyt will add 4 new floors to the building, reported the Portland Business Journal. When complete the project will include 75,000 sq ft of Class A office space. A Design Review hearing for the project is scheduled for October 1st.

Mayor Hales is “bullish” on plans to buy the Post Office site in the Pearl, reportedKOIN. Conceptual ideas for how the site might be developed were recently released as part of the Broadway Corridor Framework Plan.

Construction is underway on the remodel of the building formerly home to The Oregonian, originally designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi.When reopened 1320 Broadway will include areas with ceilings up to 28′ high, reportedThe Portland Business Journal.

The Daily Journal of Commerce published construction photos of Riverscape Lot 8.

The Portland Habilitation Center recently completed work on an apartment complex at 17199 SE Division St,reports the Portland Tribune. By keeping costs low, the buildings were built for $65,000 a unit; far below the $200,000 a unit cost typically associated with publicly funded affordable housing. In the article Rob Justus of the PHC asks why the Portland Housing Bureau hasn’t gotten behind their alternative method for delivering affordable housing.

The Oregonian reported that the Portland Development Commission has picked a development team that includes Williams & Dame and BRIDGE Housing for Riverplace Parcel 3. The $93 million project will include 203 units of affordable housing, 162 units of market rate housing and 30,000 sq ft of retail.

In a 4-0 vote, the City Council approved the SE Quadrant Plan, a part of the Central City 2035 plan. The document will guide development in the Central Eastside for the next 20 years.

As the PDC gets ready to begin selective demolition at Centennial Mills, the Mayor’s office has asked the PDC to look whether the entire complex should be demolished. The current plan is to save the feed mill, the flour mill and the mounted patrol unit, but there is currently insufficient funds to bring them back into use.

Community Visions, a non profit that helps people with disabilities live independently in their homes, is moving forward with plans for the Seven Corners Community Collaborative. An article in The Oregoniandescribed their ambitions for the building.

Mexican restaurant Rocio’s has opened in the Creston Lofts.Eater PDXpublished photos of the new space.

The Oregonian reported that the owners of City Liquidators are working on plans for a privately owned park with associated mixed use development at 711 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. The new open space, tentatively named Pelett Park, could include food carts and patio seating for Le Bistro Montage.